Force of Nature
by StarTrekFanWriter
Summary: Only a force of nature could knock down the walls Spock and Nyota have built around themselves. Fortunately, Vulcan is prone to earthquakes. For my beta, Notes. Spock/Uhura COMPLETE
1. Nyota

**I don't own. I don't profit.**

This story is for Notes, my ever patient beta. Notes started betaing for me back when I was finishing up Descartes. Since then she's stuck with me through several Spock/Uhura stories, Kirk/Uhura, T'Pring/Kirk and Sarek/Uhura. She's even ventured out with me to a Galaxy far, far away, into Narnia and into the Marvel Movie Universe.

In an even greater leap of faith she helped me edit and refine my first two original stories, "Murphy's Star" (which was almost a Spock/Uhura baby fic, but my husband's nagging to write something _original_ and Notes' faith inspired me to self-publish), and "I Bring the Fire". Links to both are in my profile.

Notes herself is an amazing, published, award winning author in Real Life. If you're not reading her "Prodigal Son" you're missing out. (Link in my faves).

**Nyota**

"Ummm..." says third year Cadet Nyota Uhura.

That something out of her mouth could be so inelegant might have shocked her just 3 minutes ago. She is a communications major at the top of her class at Starfleet Academy. Her Vulcan is so fluent she was allowed to participate in an exchange program with the Vulcan Linguistics Academy - which is why she is currently standing beneath a hot Vulcan sun in a courtyard in said Linguistics Academy's campus.

But, 3 minutes ago Spock wasn't standing in front of her. All things considered, Nyota Uhura thinks that she has the perfect excuse for such lack of eloquence.

Professor Soval tilts his graying head. "Cadet Uhura, perhaps you are suffering from sunstroke? Spock has just offered to show you a Pre-Surakian first source document which will undoubtedly aid you in your thesis. You have yet to answer him."

Spock stands before her. He is wearing a loose gray sweater that somehow manages to reveal the flat planes of his stomach and the wide set of his shoulders just as well as his black licorice instructor uniform ever did.

"What are you doing here?" Uhura says.

"He is a resident of Vulcan, Ms. Uhura," Professor Soval says dryly. "He could ask you what you're doing _here_."

"No..." says Nyota. It is at that moment Nyota's life flashes before her eyes.

x x x x

"_Oh, look!" Gaila, Nyota's bouncy green roommate, declared gleefully, hopping up and down on her bed. "My score for covert operations aptitude is higher than yours!" _

_She waved a PADD in front of first year Cadet Nyota Uhura's nose._

_Nyota ripped the PADD from her hands. "What? No!" _

"_Hey, you cracked my nail," Gaila said with a sniff._

_Ignoring her, Nyota glared incredulously down at the PADD. Gaila's score was higher than hers. _

"_It's a test of personality," said Gaila. "I have more personality than you, so obviously -."_

"_This is all wrong!" said Nyota, pulling out her own PADD and thumbing through both their responses at once, seeing where they each lost points. Nyota was clearly ahead of Gaila through the first 76 questions of the test. Scrolling through her answers, Nyota nodded smugly; she was patient, she had a high tolerance for monotony, she didn't mind not being the star of the show...all excellent personality traits for a spy...traits that Gaila didn't have. And then she came to question 77, _Have you ever fallen in love?

_Nyota had answered _'No' _and been marked down 20 points. Gaila had answered, _'Twice, and I had sex with both of them - at the same time!'_ She hadn't been marked down at all.  
_

_Nyota stared at the results. "You fall in love every day, Gaila..." _

"_No, I fall in lust everyday and act on it, unlike you repressed humans," said Gaila, flouncing down beside Nyota. "I do know the difference."_

"_It doesn't make sense! Why would your answer be worth more than mine?" Shaking her head, Nyota bit her lip, ashamed of the whine she heard creeping into her voice._

_Gaila sighed. Sounding almost sad, she said, "Nyota, people who never fall in love invariably fall in love with the enemy. It's like an inescapable force of nature, or a law of nature, or something."_

_Nyota scowled. "That is completely illogical. Love is a choice, a choice I don't make. Period. I don't have time."_

_Gaila sighed again and patted her shoulder. "Oh, Honey, you poor thing."_

_Nyota rolled her eyes. "Poor because I've never fallen love?"_

_Gaila gave her a crooked half smile. "Yes. When it hits you, you're going to be completely blindsided."_

_Nyota snorted. _

_The next day the elderly Andorian professor teaching her Level 2 Xenolinguistics class was replaced by a young handsome brilliant Vulcan with a voice like liquid silk. As Nyota sat in her first row seat, legs primly crossed, mouth watering, she couldn't help but rue her words. He was perfect and off limits. Unattainable...and doubtlessly emotionally unavailable - not that Nyota was one of those people who thought that Vulcans had no emotions, but they were bonded from the age of 7 telepathically...she was pretty sure that made emotional availability a physical impossibility._

_The enemy indeed._

x x x x

Okay, maybe that isn't a whole life, flashback, but it is enough...enough to remind Nyota she should have nothing to do with Spock.

"Cadet Uhura?" says Soval. "I thinks she is suffering from sunstroke. Spock, take her arm and -"

"No!" say Nyota quickly. Even though for the first time in months the alien sun and the heavy Vulcan robes she wears have begun to feel sweltering.

Both Vulcan men tilt their heads.

"No, you will not view the document?" says Soval.

"No!" Nyota says, "I mean, no, I'm not suffering from sunstroke."

Soval looks nearly expressionless except for a slight widening of his eyes. Spock, that insufferable, sexy bastard, has a tiny little half smile on his lips. Nyota's heart flutters at the same time she fights the urge to kick him in the knee.

Regaining her composure, Nyota says, "Seeing the original document you've described would be excellent for my thesis. However, I have a class with Professor Soval this afternoon and -"

"You have my permission to miss the class, Cadet Uhura," Soval says. "In fact I insist that you miss it."

Nyota's lips purse. Is the whole galaxy aligned against her?

Spock's infinitesimally small smile widens...infinitesimally. Is he enjoying this? Does he know the effect he has on her? Do he and his little bond mate, who isn't little anymore, obviously neither of them are 7, do he and she enjoy the Vulcan version of a telepathic snicker at the poor little human who has a crush on him? People think Vulcans don't snicker, but Nyota's worked enough with them to know that they do. Their eyes narrow. Infinitesimally.

"It is decided then," Spock says. "I have a flitter with me. The book is in my family's private library...we can go there at once." Turning his body, he tilts his head in the direction of the flitter park.

Private library? That sounds...Private. Stepping forward, heart beating in her ears, Nyota says hopefully, "I look forward to meeting your mother."

A flicker of something crosses Spock's face. Disappointment maybe? "I'm afraid, Ms. Uhura, my mother and father will not be at home."

Nyota swallows. Alone. With Spock in a private family library. Forget the galaxy, is the whole universe aligned against her?

This isn't the first time he's rendered her nearly incoherent.

x x x x

"_This is not your fault, Cadet Uhura," Commander Spock said, sitting in Nyota's chair in the language laboratory. "It appears that when the computers went offline unexpectedly last night, security protocols over wrote existing privileges. Let me show you how to reset them in the event this ever happens again. Do you mind observing over my shoulder?" _

"_Yes," said Nyota leaning forward, eyeing where his glossy black hair met the pale white skin of the back of his neck. She felt like gravity was pulling her lips forward, pressing her to kiss that neat hairline._

_Spock spun around abruptly in the chair. Their lips were suddenly mere inches apart. Obviously startled by their proximity for a moment he did not move, nor did he say anything._

_Eyes widening, Nyota jumped back. "No! I mean, no, of course I don't mind."_

_Spock blinked and swallowed - uncomfortable at the invasion of his personal space, no doubt. "Very well," he said. For a heartbeat he did nothing, but then he spun slowly back around._

_Screwing her eyes shut for a moment, Nyota mentally cursed her clumsiness - and Spock's niceness. Okay, maybe Spock wasn't precisely nice. In fact, he had a reputation for the opposite. All of her fellow students seem to think he is an 'unrepentant hardass.' But they just don't see the real Spock, the Spock who will go out of his way to present new opportunities and assistance to students he sees determined to excel. He's invited Nyota and other motivated students to lectures, Xeno art exhibits, Vulcan tea tastings...he's even granted Nyota this challenging but career cinching assistantship in her second year - Enterprise, here she comes! Not many people are brave enough to take Spock up on his offers. But they're crazy._

_Or as Gaila said, "They just don't want to be the third wheel around you two."_

_Gaila was crazy...well, half crazy. Nyota was completely smitten and she did like having Spock to herself, even if her ridiculous crush was completely one sided. _

_She stared down at Spock's neck and swallowed. She is going to kiss it...she is just going to lose all control and..._

_Spinning back around, Spock said, "And that is how you reset the security protocols, Cadet Uhura."_

_Nyota's eyes widened. So did Spock's. Nyota had accidentally leaned forward again. Their lips were again just inches apart._

_Swallowing, Spock licked his lips ever so slightly. "Would you like me to demonstrate again?"_

_All Nyota could do was nod. _

_Spock spun around quickly again. _

_Nyota's stomach fell. She had to get away from this man._

x x x x

In the flitter Nyota glares at Spock. She put solar systems between them - escaping him was one of the reasons she'd applied for the exchange program on Vulcan. And yet here is.

"So," she says. "What are you doing on Vulcan?" She doesn't cross her arms, a gesture that is perceived as hostile by humans, Vulcans and seven other federations species. She wants to - she certainly feels hostile, but she doesn't.

"I have leave from active duty with Captain Pike," says Spock smoothly.

"How are you finding active duty?" Nyota asks. She doesn't huff.

When she first told Spock about her application for the exchange program on Vulcan he had pointed out how 'illogical' a year on Vulcan would be. Her combat and tactical training would invariably suffer - and anything she could learn from the linguistic instructors on Vulcan he could teach her in independent study himself.

In a moment of control she is immensely proud of, she'd smiled back and said gamely, "But the increased gravity will make me stronger - when I come back I'll improve my hand-to-hand combat scores, and be better at Parrises Squares, too!"

She swears to this day he'd narrowed his eyes at her.

And then after that conversation he went and applied for a one year stint in the fleet! If she hadn't participated in this exchange program, all those independent study courses he'd promised would not have been available. She wouldn't have had a chance to learn all three dialects of Romulan!

Spock tilts his head; a ghost of a smile comes to the corner of his lips. After three quarters of a year with full Vulcans, it is ridiculous how expressive that strikes Nyota.

"The stint in the fleet is providing me with unique opportunities," he says.

Crossing her arms, Nyota raises an eyebrow. "Good thing I made an _illogical_ choice and came to Vulcan."

Spock's gaze flicks in her direction, and then just as quickly back to the horizon. "Sometimes we all behave illogically."

Nyota blinks. It's an oblique, Vulcan style, apology. She's just not sure for what.

The flitter begins to descend. Looking out the window Nyota sees a low dwelling of red stone. Her mouth forms a small 'o.' Even from here she can see it is enormous.

"We've arrived," says Spock, and she takes a deep breath. It's ridiculous how delicious he looks in profile.

Shutting off the flitter, Spock turns to her. "The book is very old. Special gloves must be worn to keep from damaging it with the oils of our skin."

"Got it," said Nyota, inclining her head. "Don't touch..."

You.

"...The book."

"That is correct," say Spock. He swallows and Nyota follows the motion of his Adam's apple. Swallowing shouldn't be that attractive.

Don't touch Spock. How hard could it be?

**A/N:**

Reviews == love


	2. Spock

Disclaimer: I don't own. I don't profit.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I was really surprised by the response it got.

Special thanks to my beta, Notes from the Classroom. This story is for her, so I kind of hope it lives up to her expectations. If you're not reading her excellent "Prodigal Son" click out of here right now and go to my faves! This story will still be here when you get back.

Please check out the original fiction she beta'd for me - links are in my profile.

**Spock**

As Spock disengages the locks of the flitter's doors Cadet Uhura's arms are still crossed. A gesture that denotes hostility in Vulcans, humans and seven other federation species. She taught him that.

His stomach twists uncomfortably. She doesn't really want to be here.

"Spock?" says Cadet Uhura.

Blinking, Spock is suddenly aware that he is staring. And leaning forward 1.7 more degrees than usual.

"Should we get out of the flitter?" Uhura says, her arms still crossed.

She is wearing Vulcan robes in shades of muted brown. They make the caramel of her skin tone appear all the richer and draw attention to her face. They also make her look like she _belongs_ here.

Uncrossing her arms, she looks out the window. "Are the poison lizards you told me about swarming under the flitter or something?"

Tilting his head, Spock grabs the door handle. "No, it is not the Te'canths' mating season; we may exit."

As Spock leads Uhura into the foyer of his family's ancestral home, she looks around the room appraisingly. "Post-Surakian architecture, mid 5th century?" she says.

Pleased, Spock tilts his head. "Yes, if you would be interested, I can give you a tour of the building."

Uhura sucks in a breath. For a moment she says nothing, and then she squares her shoulders. "No, that's quite alright. Let's just go to the library."

Ah. So logical. And disappointing. "Of course," says Spock.

He gestures with his hand and Uhura stares down at it. Spock follows her gaze. His hand is approximately 7.8 centimeters closer to her left hand than it need be - and too close by both Vulcan and human cultural norms. It is a mistake a full Vulcan would not have made, but Spock is half human, and for all that he has Vulcan emotions, he has less than Vulcan control.

His eyes linger on their hands 3 milliseconds longer. If they were a bonded pair he would slip his fingers against hers and lead her to the library...they might not even make it there, at first anyway. The sleeping wing is in the same direction.

He pulls his hands quickly behind his back. Cadet Uhura is a logical human. He needs to appeal to her logic. A lapse of control right now would be disastrous.

x x x x

"_Nyota Uhura doesn't fall in love, she doesn't have time for it," said Cadet Gaila, speaking to one of the other assistants in the Kobayashi Maru simulation. Spock just happened to overhear her. Accidentally._

_Her words were accompanied by a dramatic eye roll in Spock's direction. Spock was 75% certain it represented a rebuke of Spock's attraction to Uhura - as an Orion, Gaila could undoubtedly sense it. Granted, a 25% margin of error was unacceptable. Under different circumstances, Spock would have inquired with Cadet Uhura about the eye roll's meaning. However, that seemed unwise. Academy rules forbade fraternization between instructors and students; the question alone might be perceived as sexual harassment. Also, it would be very uncomfortable._

_Another Vulcan would have doubted Gaila's assessment; Vulcans did not believe humans possessed any degree of emotional control. But Spock had a human mother and heard her say countless times, "Love is a decision. How do you think your father and I have endured for so long with so many differences between us?"_

_For all that Cadet Uhura smiled and laughed as a human, Spock understood that love and romantic entanglements were an option she could chose not to pursue, just as easily as she could choose a hairstyle._

_There was no 7 year biological imperative that humans faced. And no intense emotions evolved over millennia to assure that the imperative was met...or cultural repression of outward emotional displays to assure Vulcans could function in a cooperative society the other 99.9999782% of the time._

x x x x

Avoiding troublesome hand gestures, Spock tilts his head in the direction of the library. "This way."

A few minutes later, Spock and Uhura enter the darkened room that houses Spock's family's book collection. There is a center space where the book they will be looking at today sits atop a raised book stand under a light casting a warm yellow glow. On either side are three aisles of books, with bookshelves that reach 12.8 centimeters above Spock's head - all the shelves laden with tomes modern and ancient. The room has a smell like parchment, paper, wood and even ancient leather from pre-enlightenment times.

Putting her hands to her mouth, Uhura lets out a gasp that Spock is certain would be considered erotic by 91% of the hominid species in the galaxy. Spock's ears flush, though sadly, the gasp is not directed at him. Still, he is still pleased that the library can give her such obvious pleasure. It has been a sanctuary for him since he was a child.

"It's beautiful," Uhura says, her hands steepling in front of her chest, her eyes glistening as her gaze roves over the room. "I wish I had time to see it all."

"You may stay as long as you are interested," Spock says quickly. "Tomorrow is a rest day at the Academy. If you wish, you may stay the night."

Her eyes snap to him and she straightens.

Spock swallows. "Surak encouraged the facilitation of learning - to deny your interest would be illogical."

Her eyes are wide and she is still mute. Does she see right through him?

"We could prepare a sleeping chamber for your use, of course," Spock hastens to add. Even though his bed could accommodate both of them quite easily, and she isn't off limits now...

Uhura's shoulders slump a little. "I think I would like to see the book."

Spock looks away from her quickly. She does see through him. To be embarrassed would be illogical. Spock walks past her, arms behind his back. "I took the liberty of placing the book on the reading stand."

"Oh, of course," Uhura says slipping beside him. He isn't sure if it is the enthusiasm for the book overcoming any awkwardness between them, but he notices she stands very close, hands behind her back, exactly as his are.

He should put on the gloves but can't quite bring himself to just yet. Like most Vulcans Spock doesn't like the delicate telepathic sensors on his finger pads to be covered unless absolutely necessary.

"It's embossed," Uhura breathes.

"Yes," Spock says, "on the skin of a N'llanth. Water is precious, and many of our ancient forms of writing did not rely on liquid of any kind."

Her brow furrows. "It looks like in some places whole areas of skin were flattened."

He could count on her to notice such details. "Yes, this is a history of our our family. The original text was edited several times - all pre-Enlightenment. Some of the grosser inaccuracies and statements of opinion were removed and replaced by more unbiased descriptions."

She gasps and grins at him. "Before Surak, Vulcan culture was already becoming more 'logical'!" It is a central tenet of her thesis.

Spock nods at her. "We have studied the document extensively and can provide you with scans of the skins that present the original version. But for now we can read over it together. The text is filled with local colloquialisms that aren't in the standard dictionary."

Her eyes widen and she grins. "Spock, I could kiss you!"

Spock's hands unclasp and he leans forward, as though pulled by gravity. But she has already spun back to the pages of the book - leaving his nose uncomfortably close to the top of her head. He can smell her shampoo through the robes she wears. He does not sigh.

"Of course, that would be wildly inappropriate. I'm sorry, I'm just so excited!" He can tell. Her heart rate is elevated, and her cheeks are flushed. He probably suffers from the same symptoms - for vastly different reasons.

"A history of the S'chn T'gai family, ancient times to modern history," she reads aloud. "But what is this?" she says, pointing to a letter no longer part of the Vulcan alphabet.

Spock falls more easily than he expected into explaining the tome's mysteries. He has redeemed himself at least. And their proximity, if only collegial to her, is heady to him. And her questions are interesting and challenging. It takes a full 57 minutes before they're even ready to turn the page.

When he pulls out the gloves from beneath the stand, he hands them to her. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Her hands shake slightly as she takes the gloves from him. "Yes," she breathes, taking the gloves from him. It is a little unfortunate that she knows Vulcans too well to slip and brush her fingers against his. Spock does not scowl.

Straightening, she slips on one glove. She is just about to put on the other when a rumbling sounds in the distance. Uhura looks up at the ceiling. "An earthquake?"

"Yes. Do not be alarmed. The house and furniture are well fortified." As Spock says it, the ground beneath them shudders and he and Uhura tip forward. Uhura, smaller and lighter, nearly topples completely. Spock instantly calculates the trajectory of the fall in his mind. He can see the side of her cheek falling heavily against the edge of the book stand, can imagine the bruising marring that perfect skin, can feel the rattle of her teeth and knows there is a 50% risk of her biting her tongue. His hand shoots out and catches her before that can happen. Her fingers wrap around his and do not loosen. Spock feels her anxiety shoot through him.

He firms his grip and nstinctively tries to project calm - just as any Vulcan would do for their mate.

And then as the tremors dissipate, Uhura suddenly looks down at their fingers. "Oh -" she says. Her eyes lift up to his. He is instantly flooded with sensations of embarrassment - which he expected, but also with _longing_ that he did not.

For an instant he is shocked.

"Oh, I am so -" _Sorry._

The first four words are spoken aloud. The last Spock hears in his mind. But he can feel what she means. _ You know how much I feel for you. I am sorry and embarrassed and I do not mean to make you uncomfortable..._

Looking down, she tries to pull her hand away.

Spock's eyes widen, and he takes their joined hand in both of his. "Please," he says aloud, and through his fingers says, _don't go!_ He thought he would have to appeal to her logic to have her consider him as a romantic partner, convince her that his position in the fleet made it permissible, but maybe...

Uhura's eyes go up to his and widen. "...you just did..."

"Yes," says Spock, his own eyes widening as she finishes his thought and affection, desire, and that longing spill through her fingers, and his.

"We should talk about this..." says Uhura and he can feel the effort it takes her to form coherent thoughts, let alone words.

Leaning forward, Spock ghosts his lips against hers. "Yes."

Her own lips part, and he presses against them. He hears in his mind. _He kisses...bonded?_

Pulling back he just manages to gasp. "Unbonded."

"Oh," says Uhura. And her lips are suddenly on his again, her fingers sliding against his own. In his mind he hears. _ Can't talk._

His body feels alive, as though it is fulfilling the _one_ need it was is designed to fulfill.

"Mmmmm...yes," gasps Uhura. He hears something drop and realizes what it is when her other hands slips against his and is ungloved.

"Uhura," he whispers.

"Nyota, please call me Nyota," she murmurs against his cheek.

_Nyota, Nyota, Nyota..._his mind chants, the name making every inch of his skin go hot. Or maybe it is her skin.

She moans. _Want you want this so much..._

Spock pushes his lips against hers again. Everything is heat and blur and electricity, but he can feel her back is against a bookshelf and he can hear _closer, closer, closer_ in his mind. It hits him like a command.

He drops his hands from Nyota's with a gasp - both to fulfill her wish and to give them both some mental space. He lifts her up and her legs wrap around his waist. For the first time he regrets she is wearing Vulcan robes and not the skimpy Academy uniform.

She moans against his lips, and he presses their bodies against the bookshelf, one of the shelves cutting into his arms. She starts to nuzzle his ear and even the bite of the wood against his skin falls away. Somewhere far off in the distance he hears a groaning noise.

He exhales sharply, as Nyota pulls back suddenly.

"Ummmm..." she says. "What was -"

Spock is about to say, "Aftershocks, just ignore it," when he notices the bookshelf they're leaning against swaying dangerously.

He steps back, Nyota still attached to him. In a sort of daze he watches as the bookshelf they were leaning against careen against the bookshelf behind it, that bookshelf falling against the bookshelf behind it, and that final bookshelf landing with a crack against the far wall so that all the shelves are left at a 47% angle. His mouth falls. At that moment all the books in the shelves seem to thud to the floor at once.

"Oh, no," says Uhura - Nyota. He squeezes her more tightly against him.

She looks towards the front of the house. "Is that the sound of a flitter outside?"

Spock's eyes widen. He recognizes that flitter engine.

Nyota turns to him.

He swallows. "It seems my parents have returned unexpectedly."

She looks quickly at the fallen books and bookshelves, and back to him. "What do we do...what do we say?" Her legs tighten around him...and he does sigh.

Outside two flitter doors slam.

He leans his head into her neck where her robe has fallen back a bit. Exhaling, Spock says, "Nyota..." He takes a deep breath as his heart twists in his side again. This may be the last time he holds her in his arms...she may never forgive him for what he is about to say.

He hears the front door shut with too much force, and the distinctive footfalls of his father and mother.

He swallows but manages to push out the words. "Nyota, now is probably not the most opportune time to remind you that Vulcans don't lie..."

**A/N**

Reviews == Love


	3. Amanda

Disclaimer: I don't own. I don't profit.

Special thanks to my beta Notes from the Classroom. She has two fantastic Star Trek fics out right now: **Changelings** and **Running in the Dark**. Both are in my faves.

Sorry, for the long absence. I published the second novel in my "I Bring the Fire" myth!Loki series; it's called "Monsters" and it's available for Kindle, iBooks and will be on the Nook soon. You can read an excerpt of "Wolves" the first in the series if you go to "My Stories".

If pure sci-fi is more your thing, and you want to read the Spock/Uhura baby!fic I'll never write, you should check out "Murphy's Star" (it was going to be a Spock/Uhura story, but my husband made me make it an original story). Anyway...on with the show!

**Amanda**

The earthquake echoes Amanda's mood. Amanda loves her husband. Deeply. Truly. Madly. Which doesn't mean sometimes she doesn't want to strangle him.

As soon as the flitter's engine stills, Amanda hops out, slams the hover door, and swishes in her long robes around the front of craft before Sarek has even exited the driver's side. Putting her hand on her hips, she plants herself on the path to the house.

Sarek gets out of the flitter and shuts the door gently, on the surface looking perfectly calm and unflappable. Through the bond Amanda can feel he is actually as unsettled as a basket of nervous squirrels. He could keep these feelings from her. That he doesn't is a testament to how much he doesn't want her to be mad at him. Or he is getting better at the subtleties of emotional blackmail. Or both.

Walking up the to her, Sarek stops. Tilting his head he says, "The conference was cancelled, Amanda. It is logical that we return home."

"Oh, don't give me that!" Amanda says. "You're here because Spock has a guest you want to meet!"

Sarek blinks at her. "You want to meet his female guest, too."

Amanda huffs and rolls her eyes. "Yes, of course -"

"Well, then," says Sarek, stepping around her.

Amanda grabs his arm. "We should give them some time alone."

"We will give them time alone. After we've been introduced, we shall retire to the kitchen for tea-after inviting them, of course," Sarek says, barely breaking his stride.

Amanda rolls her eyes. As though Spock or the girl he's mentioned would feel comfortable turning down that offer. "Spock is really serious about this girl -"

Sarek stops. Turning to her he says, "So I have gathered. More reason for us to meet her. She should know that just because we live on Vulcan and you have accepted Vulcan ways, we welcome her and respect her culture."

All very logical. But Amanda's not buying it. She narrows her eyes.

Sarek looks at her, face smooth, the Vulcan equivalent of feigned innocence. In truth it looks nearly identical to non-feigned innocence. But through the bond, she can feel Sarek willing her to believe.

Amanda narrows her eyes further.

Sarek lets out a breath of air. It's barely audible, yet it conveys so much. A Vulcan equivalent of a sigh. "Amanda, if he is truly serious about her...they may bond."

"Someday!" says Amanda.

Sarek tilts his head. "Accidentally. You know how Spock is. He is emotional. He lacks control."

Amanda crosses her arms over her chest at the insult. "I remember a certain_ full_ Vulcan who bonded accidentally with me." The words spill out before she's thought them through.

Leaning down, Sarek swallows. "Precisely. We were lucky. 1 in 4 Vulcan-Human bonds produce painful debilitating side effects in the human. They need a trained healer in their presence."

Sarek begins walking towards the door again and Amanda sighs. If he was angry she might be able to fight him, but he's genuinely worried, which makes it harder for her to be angry...which makes him harder to fight.

As he approaches the door, she tries one more ploy. "Maybe they're just having sex," she says, hoping Sarek will be dissuaded by the potential of an embarrassing scene, or even just angry enough at the thought of his son indulging in unbonded marital relations to allow Amanda to get angry back at him for being judgemental.

Sarek straightens. She scowls, bewildered and perplexed. Through the bond she feels a complete and utter blank.

"Unlikely," says Sarek. "Spock is too emotional to indulge in unbonded sex."

"I found condoms in his room at the academy!" Amanda says.

Sarek turns and opens the door. "Undoubtedly his human roommate's." With that he steps into the house and begins taking off his shoes.

Lowering her voice as she enters the foyer, Amanda hisses. "They were in Spock's nightstand, Sarek."

Sarek blinks up at her. "Perhaps Spock's roommate was hiding them from his nosy mother."

Skin prickling with anger, Amanda slams the door. "I was not being nosy! I was looking for the tissues. He always used to keep tissues in his nightstand when he lived at home."

"I did not _say_ you were nosy," says Sarek, and the stunning truth of it is that he is being innocent in this, he wasn't accusing her. He meant it when he said Spock's roommate might have had a nosy mother. Stepping into the hallway, he says, "Where is Spock?"

The house's computer responds, "In the library."

Turning to Amanda he says, "A very logical place to take a future bond mate." Though his face remains flat, Amanda feels Sarek's approval and something else, a bit of wonderment, and pride. Turning a little green, Sarek thinks to her: _He has more self control than I did._

Suddenly very unwilling to argue any more for fear of bursting his bubble, Amanda follows Sarek to the stairs to the library. At least Sarek was right about one thing-it is a very "logical" place to take a date. Although romantic in its own way, the library was a place where they were at least very unlikely to interrupt anything embarrassing.

As they travel down the stairwell, they hear some low whispers, and then in front of her Sarek straightens and the bond echoes with shock.

As Amanda clears the stairwell she sees why. The bookshelves on one side of the room have fallen down like so many dominoes.

"Father, mother, may I introduce to you Miss Nyota Uhura?" Spock says before either Sarek or Amanda can ask the obvious question-how did bookshelves, stable and steady for hundreds of years wind up horizontal on the floor.

Both Amanda and Sarek look to their son and his guest with wide eyes. Nyota Uhura is very pretty, her skin is a rich coffee color, her long hair very black. She has beautiful almond shaped eyes, full lips, and a heart shaped face. Even through the Vulcan robes, her poise and slender frame hint at the body of a dancer. Spock has told Amanda about Miss Uhura's intellectual gifts, but Amanda hadn't expected her to be quite so lovely.

Miss Uhura brings her hands together and wrings them, a little color rising to her face. "It's a pleasure to meet you...Miss..."

Stepping forward and holding out a hand, Amanda says, "Please call me Amanda."

Sarek inclines his head. "I am Sarek."

Miss Uhura nods and bites her bottom lip. Spock puts his hands behind his back. Amanda tilts her head. Is Spock's hair slightly rumpled?

"We were just in the library when the earthquake hit...and...ummm..." she gestures at the bookshelves.

Sarek walks over and stares at the base of one. "These were secured to the floor, the inspectors came not a month ago - the shearing force of the earthquake must have been very unusual. Spock, did you note it?"

"I was...distracted," Spock says.

Amanda blinks. Is her son going a little green?

Miss Uhura turns her head to Spock, and Amanda notices her cheeks go a little darker. "We were very engrossed in a book," she says.

Sarek kneels down by the broken bookcase supports, back to the rest of them.

"Very unusual shearing forces," he murmurs. "It is difficult to believe an earthquake could do this."

Miss Uhura swallows, "It was quite an impressive force of nature." She shoots a narrow eyed look to Spock that Amanda knows well...because she's given that look to her own literal minded, bound to truth-telling Vulcan on more than one occasion. It's a look that says clearly, _Work with me here!_

Beside Amanda, Spock straightens. A wicked little half smile forms on his lips. He raises an eyebrow in Miss Uhura's direction. "An impressive force of nature..." the other side of his mouth lifts up ever so slightly. "...I will give you that."

Amanda's eyes snap wide, and she puts a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing as Sarek, completely oblivious, says flatly, "Impressive indeed."

**~ FIN ~**

Reviews == Love...I would also love it if you checked out my original stories as well.

Happy New Year Everyone!


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